Santa Fe
by Bohemian Spitshine
Summary: Find out the real story of when Jack met Santa Fe, and when Santa Fe met jack. This is very sweet story that takes place 2 years before the strike. And who ever said that Santa Fe was just a place?.*wink* please r/r! I'm very proud of this one. it's a one


_Santa Fe_  
  
All his life, Francis Sullivan had live out on the streets. Well, most of his life. When he was a little baby he lived with his mother and father in a small apartment in Manhatthan. But ever since he was five, they had been living on the streets. Francis was a nicely brought up boy, but a life on the streets changed all that for him and his family. A year after they moved out on the streets, his mother came down with consumption and died. Francis's Father was terribly depressed and he started drinking. The next year, his Father was arrested while stealing food, leaving six year old francis on his own.  
  
Without his dad to steal for him, francis had to start stealing, and when he was 14 he too got arrested and was sent to The House of Refuge. His three month sentance was lengthend to six months when he demanded that they treat the prisoners better. But one day, He snuck out of the refuge on top of the govenor's carriage when he came to visit. Once again, francis was free to roam the streets. But this time he took a job. He became a newsie.  
  
Duane Street Lodging House, 1897-  
  
Francis Sullivan walked through the creaky wooden doors of the Duane street Lodging House. "Here goes nothin," he thought. As he entered the building, he saw an old man sitting behind a desk. The man looked up at him and said, "Hello young man, may I help you?"  
  
Francis walked over to him. "Yeah, I would like to become a Newsie"  
  
The old man smiled, "Alright then," he got out an old book and opened it.  
  
"Now, if you'll just put your name here....good. It costs 3 cents a night and breakfeast is free." Francis looked down. "I ain't got any money sir," he said. The old man smiled again. "Oh thats alright, for your first week you don't have to pay, and here's fifty cents to buy your papers twomorrow," he said, handing him two quarters. "Thanks," francis said smiling. "My pleasure, by the way, i'm Kloppman, you can go to the bunkroom, most of boys should be up there. they'll be glad to meet ya"  
  
Francis left the old man and went up the rickity stairs to the bunkroom. He pushed open the door and saw about twenty boys doing various things. At first no one noticed him, but after about two minutes, a short italian boy looked up from his game of poker and saw him. "Hey, who're yous?"  
  
Instantly, everyone looked up at him and francis gave a weak smile. "Uh, hi. I just became a newsie," he said. "Heya, i's Racetrack, what's your name?" said the italian, spitting in his hand and holding it out for a shake. Francis smiled, he had seen newsies doing this before one time in brooklyn. He spit in his own and shook race's. "My name is..." he realized that with these boys, 'francis' was going to bring up some laughs, "Jack. Jack Kelly" he said, and he gave them a grin.  
  
"Well jack, welcome ta da lodgin' house!" race said, and one by one the boys introduced them selves and then went back to their regular activitys.  
  
A week later....  
  
It was poker night, and newsies from all over new york were going to come to the lodging house. Every other week they did this, taking turns at the locations. It was about ten o'clock and the last of the newsies had arrived. "Ovah there, that's midtown. And they's little italy. Right there, that's brooklyn, and there's..." said Blink, a boy with sandy blond hair and a patch over one eye, pointing out the groups to jack. "Brooklyn?" jack interuppted. "Yeah, Spot conlon's group....You don't wanna mess wid them. 'speacially spot," Blink said, but jack shrugged and walked over to the newsies.  
  
"Heya spot," he said, smiling. "Well looky heah! Francis 'as become a newsie!" spot said, smirking. "Spot, i don't go by dat anymore, it's Kelly, Jack Kelly" he said in a quick whisper. "Jack, huh? so ya dopn't have a nick name yet? no matter, we'll fix dat quick. but foist, i want ya ta meet me goilfriend mystic." Jack looked over at the short, but beautiful girl standing next to spot. Mystic smiled and giggled. Jack smiled back. "Why hello, it's a pleasure ta meet ya..." he said, taking her hand and kissing it. Spot shot him a 'hands off' look and drew jack's attention to a taller girl behind mystic. "And this is Santa Fe," he said, pushing her twoards jack. Jack smiled again and took her hand and kissed it, looking up at spot who gave him a 'she's all your's' look. "Hello Santa Fe, i'm Jack Kelly" he said. Santa Fe smirked and took her hand away. "No name yet I see? We'll get ya one, jacky boy" she said. At this, spot cracked up. "Jacky Boy! Ha!" As spot kept on laughing, Racetrack announced the beginning of the game.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, the game growing almost as fast as the pile of money in front of race, Jack ran all out of money and walked to the other side of the table, where Santa Fe sat. "Hey Santa Fe, ya wanna go up on da roof?" he said. She smiled and nodded, dropping her cards. He took her hand and led her out of the bunkroom and on to the roof.  
  
"So, why do they call ya Santa fe?" jack said. Santa Fe shrugged  
  
"I dunno....I geuss it's cause I'm always talkin about how I wanna go ta santa fe."  
  
"why santa fe?"  
  
"Well, it's all different in santa fe, the sky and the sun. It's bigger. With more space , and my fadda and my brudda lives there"  
  
Jack nodded, and scooted closer to Santa Fe. She smiled and stood up. "Well, they's probably missin' us, we'd bettah go back down." she said heading twoards the door. "you go, i'll stay here fer a while" he said. "Okay, bye jacky boy"  
  
Jack sighed and looked out over the city. He felt different , for some reason. There had always been an empty hole inside him, but tonight, when he talked with santa fe, he didn't feel so empty. Maybe Santa Fe was just what he needed to fill up the hole in his heart. But from the way she hopped up when he scooted closer to her, he could tell it wasn't going to be that easy.  
  
A few weeks later, Jack was still trying to get to know Santa Fe better and for his sake, it was working. It was probably the fact that he hadn't pelted her with flowers and love letters. At first he had been trying to flirt with her, but she blew him off every time so he turned twoards little things. He'd talk to her about normal stuff, poker, how he was selling, He'd pull a chair out for her and lend her money when she was out.  
  
So gradually, they became closer. But it wasn't until one unlucky saturday, that they finnally clicked.  
  
Mr. Marlo, the owner of the brooklyn lodging house, heard a knock on the front door and he went to answer it. "Hello young man, your jack kelly, right?" "Yeah, is Santa Fe heah?" jack replied, looking over mr. marlo's head twoards the staircase. "I think she's up stairs in the boy's bunkroom. If not, check the last door to your left," Mr. Marlo said, smiling. Jack thanked him and headed up the stairs.  
  
"Heya jacky boy!" spot said, as jack entered the bunkroom. "what brings ya heah?" Jack walked over and half whispered to spot with a smile, "Santa fe, what else?" Spot grinned and shook his head. "Well she ain't in heah, i think she's in...what the heck happened ta yous, Shredder?"  
  
Just then, a tall skinny boy ran in the bunkroom. "T--the buildin's on fire!"  
  
Strange looks of astonishment and disbelief came to the brooklyn newsies' faces. "It's on fire?!" spot almost yelled. "Let's get outta heah, guys! C'mon mystic," he said, and the newsies began herding out the door and down the stairs where they were greeted by a thick clopud of smoke. 'Get down low everyone! I think da fire's in the kitchen and, just c'mon!" spot yelled, coughing every few words and trying to comfort mystic who had just burst into tears.The newsies had finnally left the building when Jack realized that....  
  
"Santa fe is missing!" he yelled. "She'll get out, we's gotta call the fire department!" spot said, grabing for jack's arm, but jack had already run inside the burning building. He dropped down on his knees and crawled twoards the stairs, only stopping to see the charred body of mr. marlo, lying on the floor. He crawled quicker, reached the stairs, and got up. He ran to the last door on the left, where marlo had said she might be and he grabbed the dorknob and pulled.  
  
It was locked.  
  
"Santa Fe! are yous in there?" he called, caughing after every other word. "J--jack?!" Santa fe cried. She got up and ran to the door, fumbling to unlock it. "Ya know santa fe, locking yourself in a burning building is definately not the smartest thing you've done" jack said, grabbing her hand. "Now lets go!" they ran out the door and into the hallway where they were forced to drop to their knees and crawl. "try...not...to breath...smoke....in" jack coughed out. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, their screams peirced the air as a huge flaming wooden beam fell in front of them. Jack pulled santa fe up and lept over the beam, racing twoards the door and out into the open.  
  
"Jack, Santa Fe! Yous alright!" spot called. "Oh Jack!" Santa Fe cried as she threw her arms around his neck. He looked startled for a moment, but then smiled and held her in his arms. "Oh santa fe...."  
  
The Brooklyn Lodging House had burned completly to the ground, and without Mr. Marlo, they had no place to stay. The manhattan newsies had offered the use of their lodging house but spot 'didn't want ta take no favors from no one, it'd be bad for his reputation.' So the brooklyn newsies lived beneath the docks, or at least, some of them did. Mystic refused to sleep in the filth beneath the docks and told Spot she'd rather stay in manhattan. When spot heard this, he broke up with her, thinking that she had meant she'd rather live in manhattan then under the docks with him. Mystic wasn't the only one who stayed in Manhattan, ever since the fire, Santa Fe and Jack had become inseperable. Jack was now given a newsie nick name, and they became known as 'The Cowboy and His Santa Fe'  
  
It had been about five months since the fire, and everything seemed perfect for Cowboy and Santa Fe. But sometimes in life, things don't go exactly as they were planned. It's just strange when the one thing that changes two people's lives is a simple letter. it was a warm sunny day when Santa Fe got the letter. She was very excited when she first saw it.  
  
"Jack, it's a letter from my dad in Santa Fe!" she said smiling. She and jack went upstairs to the room she and mystic were staying in. "Oh i wonder what it is!" "Open it," jack said, glad to see is girl so happy. As Santa Fe's eyes fell over the letter, her smile somewhat dropped.  
  
"What? what did it say?" jack asked. "M--my dad wants me to go to Santa Fe with him. H--he's sent me a ticket for , for twomorrow at noon to go out there..." she said. Jack looked astonished.  
  
"Your not going, are you?"  
  
"Jack.... I-i.....yes. I am going."  
  
"But, you can't.... you've got to stay here with me!"  
  
"jack..."  
  
"Please! You've got to!"  
  
Santa Fe stood up, shook her head sadly, and a tears began rolling down her cheeks. "I've got to go....it's my father, my brother, my family" she said, her voice shaking. "But santa fe! I....i won't be able to live without ya" jack pleaded. Santa fe bent down and gave jack a small kiss. "I've got to get packed if i'm leaving twomorrow. I'm so sorry jack, i'll never forget you" Jack stood up, holding the letter and slowly left her room, a small tear forming in his eye.  
  
"Hey cowboy! How about a game a rummy?" said race, spotting jack in the hallway and pulling him into the bunkroom. Jack pulled away. "N--not now..." He went into one of the bathroom stalls, leaving his friend staring after him. "Hey jacky boy, what's wrong?" race said, coming infront of jack's stall and knocking on it. "Nothin' race, just...nothin"  
  
"Cowboy, i know it's somthin'" "Just leave me alone!"  
  
Race stepped back in surprise at jack's harsh tone of voice. Then he heard sobbing coming from the hallway, and he saw Santa Fe running down the stairs into the bathroom for her and Mystic. He raised an eyebrow, and went into the girl's room.  
  
"Mystic?" he said, looking around the room. He saw her head pop up from behind her bed. "Race?" she said. He raised the other eyebrow and walked over to her. "i'm geussing you over heard what jack and Santa Fe were talking about since your, uh, in a good hiding place," he said, looking at her stranghely. she smiled weakly, "oh, eheh...yeah"  
  
"Did they break up or somethin?" race asked. Mystic shook her head. "Nah....Santa Fe got a letter from her dad....he wants her to come down on the next train to stay with him in Santa Fe. And the next train is twomorrow and, she'd going." Race nodded. "oh...i can see why they're so upset. Why won't she just stay heah?" he said. "It's her family, race. She hasn't seen them since she was six and her mother moved her out here. Wouldn't you go if you hadn't seen your dad for nine years?" Race nodded again. Poor Jack, poor santa fe. He went back to the bunkroom and heard sniffles coming from the bathroom.  
  
Jack woke up in the middle of the night. he just couldn't sleep, thinking of Santa Fe leaving in the morning. How could she do that? Then again, she hadn't seen her dad in a long time, so he couldn't blame her. He'd miss her so much, and, he might never see her again. He couldn't bare to lose her but it was her choice. He got up out of his bed and sneaked silently across the hall to the girl's room. Mystic had gone to some theatre in midtown with her newly found boyfriend, so Santa Fe was alone. He went in and slowly shut the door. he crept over to Santa Fe's bed and layed down next to her. She rolled over and opened an eye half way. "Jack?" He smiled. "Go to sleep" he said. Her eye lid dropped and she fell back asleep. He put an arm around her and after a few minutes, he fell asleep too.  
  
The next morning, Santa fe was saying good bye to kloppman and all of the newsies. It came as a shock to some of them, only a few had found out about the letter. after her last goobyes, she and jack went off to the train station.  
  
"Well jack, I'd better get on the train, it's 11:57" Santa Fe said, picking up her small bag. Jack nodded. She began to turn twoards the train but jack grabbed her and pulled her into a deep kiss. when they finnally pulled away, jack whispered in her ear, "i'll never forget you santa fe." Santa fe smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'll never forget you either, my cowboy." And she grabbed her suitcase and ran twoards the train, tears now pouring down her face. "I love you!" jack called after her, but she she was already on the train that's bound for,  
  
Santa Fe. 


End file.
